KSAT Community Giving Tuesday: TEAMability

Help support nonprofits during COVID-19

Giving Tuesday

SAN ANTONIO – Our local nonprofits in San Antonio need help from the community now more than ever due to COVID-19 affecting its daily operations.

With an overwhelming response from the community, 36 nonprofit organizations reached out to KSAT Community to be potentially featured for Wishlist Wednesday.

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Instead of highlighting one nonprofit for Wishlist Wednesday this week, KSAT Community will be hosting Giving Tuesday to help 36 organizations.

If you would like to learn more about how TEAMability needs support during the pandemic, please see below on the Q&A from the nonprofit.

Q. What is the mission/goal of the nonprofit?

A. TEAMability’s mission is to work in collaboration with communities and families, giving children with complex disabilities opportunities to achieve their potential and experience the joy of success. TEAMability imagines a community that challenges assumptions and advances the service delivery standard for children with complex disabilities.

Q. How does the nonprofit help the community?

A. TEAMability has been built on the belief that all children can learn regardless of their challenges. Our children have profound cognitive, sensory, mobility and communication disabilities combined with medical fragility. Our marginalized population of vulnerable medically fragile children has limited access to appropriate therapies. They are historically underserved due to lack of adequate understanding of their needs and lack of availability of trained, committed and caring professionals who have the knowledge and skill to deliver the needed supports and services. TEAMability is the only organization in South Texas dedicated to providing essential therapies to these children and needed supports to their families.

Q. How has COVID-19 impacted your nonprofit?

A. During this time of ever-evolving challenges and uncertainty, TEAMability has remained committed to safeguarding the health of our children, their families and our TEAM. It was with great sadness that we suspended all direct services to the children and their families on March 20. Without access to essential therapies, our children face the potential loss of functional motor skills; increased spasticity and contractures; respiratory and digestive problems due to reduced positioning options; and loss of motivation caused by isolation and lack of access to learning environments. Our TEAM’s response to our children and their parents’ needs during this stressful time was immediate, creative and passionate. TEAMability initiated Telehealth Occupational and Physical Therapies March 30th, allowing for the children’s physical status to be monitored with appropriate stretching and positioning options for the home. Family support is also offered by our Education Specialists, providing parents suggestions for activities that will keep their children engaged and motivated while they are sequestered in their home. Parents are relieved to know that skilled professionals are “stepping into their homes” to provide guidance and support! virtual Parent Forum meetings are also being held via Zoom to offer support and connection to our parents.

Q. Do you need volunteers?

A. We do not need volunteers at this time.

Q. What type of donations do you need?

A. The impact of COVID-19 crisis on TEAMability’s financial picture has been immediate. We are in great need of monetary support for our general operating expenses. With the suspension of our direct services at our Learning Center, there has been a revenue loss of Medicaid and commercial insurance reimbursements of $25,000 per month, which supports our Occupational and Physical therapies. Switching to Telehealth, while greatly needed for family support and monitoring of functional motor abilities, will generate only minimal revenue. TEAMability provides all services to our families at no cost. With our community’s help and support we know we will weather these unexpected challenges and emerge sounder and stronger, and ready to welcome our children back for direct services at our Learning Center when the time is right.

Website:

teamability.org/

Facebook page:

facebook.com/FriendsofTEAMability

Address:

1711 North Trinity, San Antonio, Texas 78201

Related:

If you are a nonprofit that is in need of support, click here to make a submission.

Share your appreciation for our community: Send a frontline worker a virtual message

To see the full list of KSAT Community Giving Tuesday nonprofits featured, click here.

KSAT Community operates in partnership with University Health System, Energy Transfer and Randolph-Brooks Federal Credit Union.


About the Author:

Kiersten has been a Digital Content Creator with KSAT12 since 2017. She graduated from Texas State University with an electronic media degree and previously worked for the Spurs Sports & Entertainment.